Successful development of generic capabilities in an undergraduate medical education program

The development of generic capabilities or graduate attributes in communication, teamwork, critical analysis of information, problem solving and ethical practice is widely recognised as a desired outcome of higher education. This emphasis on generic capabilities has emerged despite ongoing debates about the concept and development of such capabilities. A recent review of comprehensive audits of Australian universities has found little evidence that such outcomes are being achieved. We used data from four different evaluations, both qualitative and quantitative, to explore whether these important generic capabilities are being learned by undergraduate students in the University of New South Wales (UNSW) new Medicine Program. University of New South Wales medical students are significantly more positive than other UNSW students that their university experience is developing several generic capabilities. Measurements concerning generic skills development from the Australian 2009 Learning and Teaching Performance Fund process support these findings. Analyses of qualitative data from two methodologically different student surveys found consistent evidence that medical students value generic capability development in the UNSW program. Furthermore, we report evidence that current UNSW medical students rate their clinical learning in professional placements as a significantly better experience than students in the previous discipline-based program. We believe this is a consequence of generic capability learning in the early years of the new program, such that our students are better prepared to maximise the value of learning from professional experiences. Our results represent consistent evidence of successful generic capability development as a result of a program-wide innovation in undergraduate education. To validate further our conclusions, external assessments of our graduates' generic capabilities in-action in the workplace are currently being obtained.     

Teachers’ workplace well-being: Exploring a process model of goal orientation,coping behavior,engagement, and burnout

The current research integrated components of the transactional model of stress and coping with self-worth and goal theories to examine a model where (a) teachers’ goal orientation (as indicated by mastery and failure avoidance) was hypothesized to predict their teaching coping strategies (as indicated by problem- and emotion-focused coping) and (b) teaching coping was hypothesized to predict occupational well-being (as indicated by engagement and burnout). A longitudinal sample of 430 teachers took part in the research. With the structural equation model suggesting an acceptable fit to the data, findings generally supported hypotheses. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.     

An investigation into the application of ensemble learning for entailment classification

Textual entailment is a task for which the application of supervised learning mechanisms has received considerable attention as driven by successive Recognizing Data Entailment data challenges. We developed a linguistic analysis framework in which a number of similarity/dissimilarity features are extracted for each entailment pair in a data set and various classifier methods are evaluated based on the instance data derived from the extracted features. The focus of the paper is to compare and contrast the performance of single and ensemble based learning algorithms for a number of data sets. We showed that there is some benefit to the use of ensemble approaches but, based on the extracted features, Naïve Bayes proved to be the strongest learning mechanism. Only one ensemble approach demonstrated a slight improvement over the technique of Naïve Bayes.     

“Masculine” vs. “feminine” strategies in political ADS: Implications for female candidates

This study explored several research questions concerning strategies typically said to be beneficial for female political candidates. Six 60‐second videotaped political commercials were produced featuring a female “candidate”, each containing either a “masculine” or a “feminine” strategy. The strategies were aggressive, nonaggressive, career, family, ambitious, and nonambitious. Each political commercial was inserted into a set of four locally produced, nonpolitical ads. Six groups of students were randomly assigned to each of the six treatment groups. After viewing the commercials, subjects were asked to fill out a questionnaire to measure response to the candidate and to the ads through semantic differentials and Likert‐scale questions. Results from the study indicate that the “aggressive” strategy worked better in comparison with the “nonaggressive” strategy and the “career” strategy worked better in comparison with the “family” strategy. Few significant differences were found between the “ambitious” and the “nonambitious” strategies. Several implications for female candidates are discussed.     

President Bush's Image Repair Effort on Meet the Press: The Complexities of Defeasibility

The candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 were united in attacking President George W. Bush. Their continued criticism, combined with news stories about such topics as the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and job losses in the United States, steadily eroded the president's image. On February 8, 2004, President Bush appeared on Meet the Press to repair his reputation, exemplifying the problem of how an incumbent president can reply to such attacks while in the midst of a campaign for re-election. This essay applies the theory of image repair to this discourse to critically analyze and evaluate Bush's attempt to repair his image. Bush responded to two key accusations: justification for the war in Iraq and concerns about the economy (including jobs and the deficit). He tried to frame himself as a “war president” (transcendence) who should be evaluated on those grounds but failed to make this the most important problem for most voters. He employed denial, but the support for denials was often weak. He also relied heavily on defeasibility. However, Bush's use of the strategy of defeasibility raises doubts about whether he will be able to solve problems in a second term. Thus, President Bush's image repair effort was largely ineffectual.     

A Functional Analysis of the 2002 Korean Presidential Debates

This study applied the Functional Theory of Political Campaign Discourse to the 2002 Korean presidential debates. These messages stressed acclaims (positive statements) more than attacks; defenses were the least common function. Policy (issues) occurred more frequently than character (image). General goals and ideals were used more to acclaim than attack. The incumbent party candidate acclaimed more and attacked less than challenger party candidates (and acclaimed more and attacked less on past deeds in particular). The most common form of defense was simple denial. These results were contrasted with the most recent American presidential debates to reveal similarities and differences between presidential debates in these two cultures.     

The impact of standards‐based reform on teachers: the case of ‘No Child Left Behind’

Standards‐based reform is a trend affecting the educational systems of nations around the world, driven by desires to create educational systems suited to increasing economic productivity. In the USA, The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 includes goals of reducing achievement gaps and getting ‘highly qualified’ teachers in all classrooms. Critics warned the legislation could exacerbate achievement gaps and actually drive quality teachers out of the field. To assess these arguments, we surveyed all K‐8 teachers in one school district, using both standardized items and an open‐ended question. Survey responses indicate that instructional time and professional development opportunities in non‐tested areas are being reduced and that future teacher retention and recruitment may be problematic for this district. Open‐ended responses reveal numerous sources of dissatisfaction and stress for teachers, allowing us to make connections between NCLB's outcomes and teacher dissatisfaction. Importantly, these effects and relationships are not limited to high‐minority or low‐income schools, but exist in all schools in this district. Such findings suggest unintended consequences for the legislation as well as failure to achieve its stated goals.     

Exploring variation in nurse educators’ perceptions of the inclusive curriculum

This paper reports findings from a study into how nurse educators view the notion of an inclusive curriculum within their discipline. UK nurse education is professionally accredited, with substantial levels of work-based learning. Therefore, this analysis should be useful to practitioners on other professional courses. The study was based on a phenomenographic analysis of data collected from interviews with 15 nurse educators in one university. Analysis exposed wide variation in respondents’ perceptions and experiences of developing and delivering an inclusive curriculum. Much discussion focused on teaching students with disabilities and tutors expressed concern over implications regarding fitness for practice and public safety. However, there was recognition that diversity was a feature of the contemporary educational environment and that nursing courses had much to gain from inclusive practices. Key differences identified related to the extent to which change was required to current processes and practices. The findings indicated a concern over support for educators to manage these issues and suggested that in the absence of more robust direction, the student experience is shaped by the attitudes of individual tutors. In light of this, the author suggests that a coordinated and consistent response from the higher education establishment, professional bodies, practitioners and policy-makers is necessary to fully establish the notion of inclusive curricula in any professionally accredited course.     

Why Should We Group Students Within-Class for Learning?

The purpose of this article is threefold. First, we bring to the attention of the European and international research community the research evidence concerning within-class grouping. In a previous quantitative review, we computed 103 independent effect sizes from studies comparing within-class instruction and whole class instruction. The mean weighted effect size (ES) of within-class versus no grouping on student achievement was 0.17, which was significantly greater than zero (p < .05). We also reported that the findings were statistically heterogeneous and explored which of 26 study features accounted for the variability. Second, we address the issues related to our research integration raised by Prais (1998, 1999). We argue that our review focused only on grouping effects on students, not other features of classroom organization or teacher outcomes. We also believe that our data suggest that Continental Education would be further enhanced by the use of small group instruction. In particular, our findings are: useful; not so variable as to be meaningless; provide evidence of beneficial effects for students of all relative abilities; are thorough and detailed; and provide a rather complete picture of the available evidence. Third, we elaborate further on the pedagogical techniques which encourage effective small group instruction. We describe cooperative learning in general, the important elements of positive interdependence and individual accountability in particular, and summarize reviews of research on its effectiveness. We remain convinced that educators should group students within-class for learning and rely on the research evidence for guidance in doing so.     

Developing a Computer-Assisted Tutoring Program to Help Children at Risk Learn to Read

This paper describes the development and formative evaluation of a computer-assisted tutoring program to help students who experience problems learning to read. Based on a combination of social constructivist and behavioral theories, this program addresses the cost and quality issues associated with delivering high quality, cost-effective tutoring. Initial feedback on the beta version of the program provides support for developing a program designed with “just in time” support for tutors and interactive activities for tutees based on material that students are struggling with in their reading class.